Job prospects in advertising and media, despite widespread cuts and restructures, aren't as bleak as many expected.
Australia's media and events industry grew its workforce by more than 2% to about 60,000 employees in 2025, even as broadcasters and publishers shed jobs, according to a Mercury Talent report analysing 546 companies.
And recruiters who specialise in the marketing and advertising sector say there are good prospects out there.
“Companies are prioritising marketers with strong analytical capability, product marketing experience, and an understanding of AI-driven tools and automation,” said Jimmy Sutton-Hill, the senior marketing & analytics talent agent at Aquent Australia.
“Performance marketing and product marketing roles remain the most resilient as companies continue to prioritise measurable growth and revenue impact.
“Startups and scale-ups are showing slightly stronger hiring activity, particularly as funding confidence has improved.
“Enterprise companies are still hiring but in a more targeted way, primarily for product marketing, performance marketing and customer growth roles."
"Companies are being cautious with headcount, so they are prioritising mid to senior-level hires who can operate independently," said Sutton-Hill.
Larisa Todd, principal consultant at StopGap, forecasts a growing opportunity for some marketers.
“We're certainly seeing more mid level roles coming through,” said Todd
Yet, not all parts of the market are faring well.
“It's definitely a challenging time. I've been at StopGap for more than 15 years, and probably haven't seen the time quite like this one,” said Todd.
Sarah Purches, managing director at Kindtide, said junior and execution-focused roles are most exposed, particularly where businesses believe AI or automation can absorb part of the workload.
“That includes some content, social, campaign coordination and generalist digital roles,” said Purches.
In terms of re-entering the market, the recruiters suggested focusing on learning new skills.
Sutton-Hill at Aquent said analytical capability is becoming critical.
"Hiring managers are prioritising experience with customer data platforms, CRM systems, experimentation frameworks such as A/B testing, and analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics."
Purches at Kindtide said human skills matter as well, particularly adaptability, communication and stakeholder management.
The most “at risk” roles in Adland have been identified as brand and content-focused roles.
“In particular, production-led content and publishing functions are increasingly being offshored or automated,” said Sutton-Hill.
As for why the market was so constrained, opinions varied.
“Demand has become more selective. Businesses are still hiring, but they are being more cautious and far more focused on commercial impact, versatility and technical capability,” said Purches.
“Of course, AI has played an impact in automation. However, I think economics, restructuring, and global pressures are making a huge impact as well,” said Todd.
The most important question? How will this market affect salaries?
“Those sudden increases were just post covid, where there was such a demand, and not enough talent. Salaries were just a lot higher,” said Todd.
“I think if we didn't go through that huge change during post covid, the salaries probably wouldn't have moved.”
Sutton-hill believed salaries haven’t shifted in the past 12-24 months, but “the level of experience required for those salaries has increased.
“At the senior end of the market, there has been some softening, with leadership roles sometimes being offered slightly below peak levels seen during the tech hiring boom.”
Purches identified specialist and high capability roles as having the most reliable salaries.
“Particularly in technical or commercially critical areas, salaries are generally holding firmer,” said Purches.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.